


Fate

by DanieXJ



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-06
Updated: 2011-12-06
Packaged: 2017-11-20 20:24:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/589304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanieXJ/pseuds/DanieXJ
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a quick something (okay, maybe not so quick as I thought it would be) that popped into my head. Sometimes I think too much. Anyway, it's Emma and Regina and someone has a revelation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This started out as a one part short thing, and then after positive comments on the first part I made it into a longer piece.

It was all Henry said, over and over and over. That Emma was brought to the town, born, to do something, to break the curse, blah, blah, blah. Emma lay in her mother's house, sort of, although Mary Margaret didn't know it, and Emma wasn't sure if she believed it. She lay there and stared up at the ceiling. It was all so crazy. She'd just been living, trying to make a living, while kicking some butt here and there to relieve her tension. But now there were clocks that started ticking when she arrived, a guy that Henry was sure used to be a Cricket, but before that a guy, another one, the cricket's friend, that was the maker of Pinocchio, and some short guys that were supposed to be Snow White's dwarves? Red and Granny owned an inn (although Emma was glad Granny wasn't dead or eaten), and there was the Sheriff. Emma was ninety nine percent sure that she didn't want to know what his story was, or who he was supposed to be.

Then, there was Regina. The Evil Queen. Emma had never known her mother, hadn't really ever had a proper mother. In general Emma had very little mothering to compare any other mother to. Could Regina really be that evil as a mother as Henry claimed she was. Henry was well fed, seemed like a great kid, and when he had gone into that old mine... Emma had seen fake grief, fake caring, fake everything in her line of work. Regina's fear, her panic, none of it had been fake. Evil Queen or not, she loved Henry with all her heart, even if she didn't seem to know how to show it. That, and she was gorgeous.

Emma sat up in bed. Maybe that was the answer. If she believed Henry, maybe she was brought to the town to break the curse. According to Henry Emma was then supposed to enter into the final battle with the Evil Queen. But, Emma had a thought. One that Henry may not have had. He was a child. He still trusted implicitly. He didn't realize yet what one of her early mentors had pounded into her head. Everyone lies. So, what if the prophecy was a lie. A lie to get two people who could save everyone in town to be at each other's throats? Or knowing the unsavory people in this town, maybe even just a lie to get a helluva laugh.

oOOOOo

That was how Emma found herself on Regina's front steps. Emma was crazy. Insane. Jumping into the Charles in the middle of winter would have been sane compared to what she was about to do, but her feet wouldn't move. She couldn't make herself go back to her car. She just hoped and prayed that it was late enough that Henry was asleep. She knocked on the door. Ringing would only wake the little troublemaker.

A pissed off looking Regina came to the door. "Have you found my child again?"

"No. I'd like you to hear me out. Please."

Regina stared at her. "Why? Are you going to file papers with me now? Use the mine incident, your heroics, get custody of my son?"

Emma frowned. "Why would I Ms. Mills. I..." She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them. "I'm sorry. We started on the wrong foot. Your son's fault, my fault, and your fault as well. I'm not here to take him away Ms. Mills. I gave him up once already. Would it be nice to get to know him a little, sure, but... you're his mother. He's happy, he's alive, he's very well fed, he's smarter than he should be, and he's safe. You mostly seem to be a bitch of a woman, and a hard nosed mother, but I could see it yesterday, you love him more than you hate me. So. Please. I want to start over."

Regina had listened in silence, and after a long pause she stepped away from the door and gestured that Emma should come in. "And how do you propose we do that Miss Swan?"

"I trust you, and you trust me. And we interact as adults should, not characters in a fairy tale drama." Emma held out a hand. "Hi, I'm Emma. Your son came down to Boston and found me. I gave him up when he was just a kid. Which, yes, in retrospect I've wondered if that was the right thing to do. He thinks that you're The Evil Queen, Mary Margaret is Snow White, and I'm her daughter." Regina gasped, but Emma kept going. "Now, maybe it's true, maybe it's not. If you were the one who brought all these people from story book land to Storybrook Maine than all you really want is a happy ending of your own. You think that's Henry." Emma paused for a moment, this was the part that might get her cursed, or turned into a frog or something. "I think it's me."

Regina blinked and waited for Emma to continue. When she didn't the dark haired woman shook her head. "I do believe that you're crazier than my son."

Emma took two steps forward and put her hand against Regina's chest. She felt the Mayor's heart do a double tap beat. "Tell me that when we were fighting at the old mine you didn't just want to kiss me. Tell me that and I will go away. Out of this town, and leave you and your... cursed people right here. Never able to leave. Henry will hate you, everyone will hate you, and you'll be stuck here even when Henry decides to leave. Because, he can, he wasn't born here. He can leave and never come back Regina. Tell me that you didn't feel something and I'll go."

Regina quirked one of her amazing eyebrows, "Why would the daughter of Snow White... the most perfect woman in the land... according to every fairy tale there is about her feel something for me. The Evil Queen."

Emma grabbed the back of Regina's neck and brought their faces a hairs breadth away from each other. "Because this is real life. Tell me."

Regina jerked her head away and turned around. Her arms around herself. She was silent for a long time and then spoke without turning. "I can't. Because I did. I'm not gay, I sleep with..."

"...the Sheriff?"

Regina turned. "How?"

Emma smirked, "I may not be a real cop, but I've got good eyes. So. If you want to, kiss me."

Regina took one step towards Emma, then another. Then stopped. "I..." She shook her head, "I can't."

Emma's smirk morphed into a smile, "But you will. You think that you're soulless, that you don't deserve the love of anyone, even your son. I'm going to show you that's a load of bull crap. You're gonna kiss me and want me. And we'll both get our happily ever after."

"I don't think." Regina frowned, "I don't think that fairy tales work that way."

"This one will."

oOOOOo

Regina woke the next morning with the hangover that ate Boothbay to the ringing of her front doorbell. Henry beat her downstairs and had a confused look on his face as he brought a basket inside. "I don't get it."

Regina took it from his hands and tried not to bark at her son, "Get ready for school, I don't want you to be late." He trudged back upstairs and Regina looked in the basket. Inside sat a gigantic bottle of Ibuprofen, a bag of Dunkin Donuts coffee and a note. She opened the note. It read, 'Next time, more water before bed. E.'

On the outside Regina groaned. "Great, a stalker." But, just underneath the cold layers she had cultivated over many eons, a little spark jumped just a bit at the fact that someone she wasn't related to, someone not named Henry, cared just a little about her.


	2. Chapter 2

"What is this?"

Regina's secretary, Lori, stuck her head in the Mayor's office. "Ah, the new Deputy, Emma, she dropped it off for you."

Regina's gaze caught Lori's and held it. "You let Miss Swan into my office?"

Lori quickly shook her head, "Of course not Madam Mayor. No, I put it in here, but- she didn't say who it was from."

Regina sat down behind her desk and didn't answer Lori's unasked question of who was it from. "Thank you Lori, I'm expecting a call from our State House Rep. this afternoon."

Lori nodded, "Of course Madam Mayor." And disappeared from the doorway, closing it behind her. Regina sat perfectly still, staring at the single rose lying across her blotter.

It was nearly five minutes before she took her phone off the hook and dialed the Sheriff's number. She didn't wait for the Sheriff to speak, "Sheriff, send Miss Swan to my office immediately."

A few minutes later Emma stepped through the door and closed it as Regina looked up from the work that she hadn't been able to do. "Mayor Mills."

"You will stop this."

Emma stood there at parade rest and shook her head, "I won't."

Regina stood and came around her desk, rose in hand. "This is about Henry. You're setting me up."

"I'm not." Emma paused, "Have you ever read Little Snow-white?"

Regina answered Emma, but warily, "The original, no. It's a fairy tale, and my son has taken possession of those books in our house."

Emma smiled just a bit and took a step towards Regina, "The non-Disney-fied version is a bit different. Snow White is comes into being when a Queen whishes for a daughter and her blood drips on the beautiful white, clean snow."

"I am not Mary Margaret's mot..."

Emma cut Regina off, "No, no, you're not Snow White's mother. Will you let me finish?"

One of Regina's hands jerked a little and she lifted it to her face. A small drip of blood welled up on her index finger. "Oww..." Regina blinked in surprise, "You left the thorns on?"

Emma smiled again, "They are what keep roses special. If it weren't for the thorns, they'd be like every other carnation or plant out there. Now, may I finish?" Regina inclined her head, "But, since everything has a price, when Snow White is born her mother dies. Now, in the story the King marries again. Another woman, described as a wicked woman."

Regina interrupted again, one upraised eyebrow, "That's me?"

"That's what Henry thinks. In the story, the wicked Queen is so obsessed with being the most beautiful in the land that she gets her huntsman to go into the forest and kill Snow White. Only, he doesn't, bringing back the lung and such of another animal. The wicked Queen finds out and then tries to kill Snow White three times. Appearing to finally succeed with half of a poisoned apple that gets stuck in Snow White's throat."

Regina finished the story, "Then the Prince happens by, kisses her and they have their happy ending. What is the point of this?"

"Actually- she woke up when the Prince jostled the coffin and the piece of apple dislodged from her throat, but-" Emma took a step forward and whispered right next to Regina's ear," you know all that already Madam... Mayor."

Regina blinked and took a step back, "Leave my office. Now."

Emma crossed her arms over her chest, "Of course, if that's what you want, but, you don't want to hear my theory of what happened to you. Why you hate Snow White so much? Why you cursed everyone, why all this is happening?"

"I do not. I have work to do. I have a job that requires more than sitting at a desk and eating donuts."

Emma smiled at that, "Actually I love bear claws. Almost as much..." She turned on her heel and threw the rest of her sentence over her shoulder, "...as I think I love you Regina Mills."

Emma left the room and closed the door behind her, leaving a fuming Mayor Regina Mills. Her phone rang and she picked it up, "What. Right... State Rep kiss ass. Put him through."


	3. Chapter 3

Emma whistled as she walked down the street. She heard the small footsteps of Henry and slowed down a bit so that his shorter legs as well as the weight of his backpack could catch up. "Emma- Emma- where are you going?"

Emma shook her head, "No where in particular, just taking a walk. Shouldn't you be getting back to your house. It's getting dark, and Storybrooke Maine or not, you shouldn't be out alone after dark."

Henry gave Emma a look, "Really, just a walk?"

Emma looked around, "This place is quite crazy, and yet, I feel more at home here than I ever have before. Who knows," she ruffled, "maybe everything you've told me is true. Or, maybe it's 'cause you're here."

Henry nodded, "Or your Mom."

Emma cleared her throat, "Yeah, still not ready for that one. So I'm gonna stick with you cutie."

A throat cleared behind the two of them and both turned. It was the Sheriff, "The Mayor's looking for you at home Henry. I can-"

Emma cut the Sheriff off, "We both can-"

Henry looked between the Sheriff and Emma, "Do you like him Emma?"

The Sheriff got a peculiar look on his face and turned a bit red, but Emma just chuckled, "Nah Henry. We're just friends, but," she shot the Sheriff a look, "-I think we do have some things in common." She paused, "Dislike of the night shift for one."

The Sheriff coughed and pointed towards Granny's Inn. "I need to, you'll get him home?"

He didn't wait for an answer and Henry and Emma headed towards the Mayor's home again. Henry had followed the exchange with a frown, "I don't get it."

Emma chuckled as they stopped in front of the house. "Here we are."

Henry frowned again as he looked at the house and then Emma, "It's not fair. Living with Mary Margaret and you, it would be fun and easy, and..."

Emma got down on one knee in front of her birth son, "Hey, look at me. Tonight, once you go in that door, just tonight, don't look at her as the Evil Queen, alright?"

"But-"

Emma put a hand up, "She's your Mom. For tonight, pretend that she adopted you because she loved you, she does and says what she does because she's worried about you and loves you more than anything in this world."

"But- but, she threatened you Emma."

Emma stood, "She didn't known me, why I was here. If I was going to steal you away in the night or what. Just tonight, do this for me. Okay?"

Henry was silent for a long moment, then nodded and gave Emma a hug, "Okay. I will. Night Emma-"

Once Henry was inside the house from the shadows stepped Regina. "Pretend I love him?"

"It shouldn't be a problem since you do."

Regina's face stayed a mask of stone, "The flouting of social norms only brings pain and suffering to all Miss Swan. I know that for a fact."

Emma nodded, "The Evil Queen, evil bitches in every day life, the wicked witch of the west. They made a whole musical about how she was misunderstood. They're all strong women in a male dominated world. Even people here in Storybrooke, what they think of you, what they say behind your back. What other woman in town is in your position, what other woman is simply... in charge, never bowing or scraping to men?" 

Regina studied Emma, "You think you know my story. You don't know my story. You don't even like me."

Emma pulled Regina closer, though the fence didn't let her pull the dark haired woman into her body, then didn't move. Their lips were scant centimeters away from each other. Emma spoke softly and in a voice that held nothing but love, "Desire and love trump any sense of social restraint. And when I look in your eyes. I love you."

With that Emma pushed away and turned, walking back towards Mary Margaret's house. Leaving a flushed and alone Regina on her front lawn.


	4. Chapter 4

Emma jumped as she woke up with a start. Regina was staring down at her with a very intense look on her face. And it wasn't the kind of intense look that Emma had recently realized she wanted to see on Regina's face. "What happened?"

Regina swore and turned away from Emma, going into the main room, followed . A bleary eyed Mary Margaret stumbled into the main room with a frown on her face, "Regina, what are you doing in my house." Mary Margaret bit her lip as she looked at her thoroughly destroyed door. "Are you planning on paying for that?"

"Henry's gone."

She said it in such a monotone voice that both women nearly missed what she was saying. Mary Margaret's entire posture changed from angry to caring in a second. "And you thought..."

Regina nodded quickly, "That Emma took him." Regina looked over at Emma, still in a tank top and boxer looking shorts, "I... I wish I had found him here. We... we had such a good night last night thanks to you, and now..."

Emma put an arm on Regina's shoulder. "We will find him. I think... I hope I'm wrong, but I think I know a place to start."

Mary Margaret nodded, "Gold."

Regina looked Emma up and down, "Shouldn't you put on a shirt, pants?"

Emma smirked, "Are you sure about the shirt?"

Regina turned on her heel and went out the door she'd destroyed and Mary Margaret blinked in confusion. "Did you just... did you just flirt with Mayor Mills?"

Emma smiled, "I need to get dressed, and we have to go find Henry. Call the Sheriff."

oOOOOo

"Where is he? Tell me where he is right this second Gold, or I'll..."

Gold laughed. "If you kill me, then you'll never know dearie, will you."

Regina's cheek jumped a bit. "Tell me you little scum. This is my town, you simply live in it, I will throw you down in the deepest pit imaginable." 

"Sorry honey, been there, done that. Ah, Emma, my dear."

Regina turned to look and Gold gave her a kick and punch and he was loose and gone from his store in the blink of an eye. Regina was bent in half, but still tossing out orders. "Well, go... go..."

Emma didn't move from the store, instead she helped Regina up. "He's only a man here, the Sheriff, perhaps some of those he's swindled, maybe even David and Mary Margaret, they'll get him. We need to find Henry, because Gold will never give it up."

Regina met Emma's eyes and nodded. "It was..." She closed her eyes for a moment, "We... we laughed, and he let me tuck him in, he hasn't let me do that since he was..." She took in a stuttering breath, "I do love him, so much Emma."

Emma cupped Regina's cheek in her hand, "You deserve his love, my love, just like you deserved the love of Snow White's mother." Regina's eyes went to Emma and Emma smiled a little, "I told you that I knew your story. C'mon, let's go find your son."

Regina opened and closed her mouth once and then nodded, "Let's find... our son."

Emma cleared her throat and went behind Gold's counter. "Ah, right, ah you've known him longer. Do you think that he'd keep him here?"

Regina shook her head even as she pushed things this way and that on the floor to see if there was some sort of trap door. "No, no, he wouldn't. But, that means, that he could be anywhere."

Emma paused in her search and put a finger to her lips. "We're going about this wrong. It doesn't matter where Mr. Gold would take him, where would Rumpelstiltskin take him."

"Emma, this isn't the time for..."

Emma pointed at Regina, "It's your curse, there is no way that you lost your memory as well. Or, if you did, you were the first to get it back. Where would Rump go?"

Regina put a hand to her head and shook it, "I don't... I... he had a thing for, for corn or wheat or..."

"Straw."

Understanding dawned on Regina's face. "I know where he is..."

She took off, and it took a moment before Emma caught up to her. They ran through the town, up one street, around a corner, they even went over a fence. Regina finally stumbled to a halt in front of a silo. "He's... I think..."

Emma charged at the door and it splintered under her shoulder. She fell to her knees and let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. "Henry."

Regina sprinted past her to where Henry, backpack and all was crouched against the back wall of the silo, straw all over him. "You're okay."

Henry spit some straw out of his mouth and made a face, "Of course I am. Duh. Emma..."

Emma blew a breath out and winced as she rolled her shoulder backwards and forwards. "Should have let you do the heroic thing Madam Mayor, you seemed pretty good at it this morning."

Regina stood and, pulling Henry with her, walked to Emma. She studied the shoulder, "I believe that you have quite the piece of wood in your shoulder Miss Swan. Now, if you had been wearing a shirt."

Emma quirked an eyebrow, "Really, still want me to put on clothes do you?"

"If it keeps you from injuring yourself. Yes." Regina paused, "If I had a utility knife I would take the tree out of your shoulder."

Henry frowned, "I have one, but... that would... hurt Emma Mom."

Regina looked down at her son and held her hand out. After a moment he rooted around in his backpack and came up with the Swiss Army Knife. "Mom..."

"Henry." Her tone brooked no disagreement, "Trust me." She brandished her hand again, "Now give me the knife."

Emma had been watching the scene play out in front of her with a bit of a smile on her face. She had used many a utility knife in her day for all sorts of things. Hers was in her leather coat back at Mary Margaret's house. So, she was pretty sure she knew which part of the knife Regina was going to use, but it was interesting to watch as Henry and Regina interacted. Obviously the boy thought that his mother was going to cut into Emma's flesh with the knife part.

Henry finally put the knife in his mother's hand and took Emma's hand in his own. The hand connected to the un-injured shoulder. "Okay."

Regina would have rolled her eyes if she wasn't quite so hurt by the fact that her own son didn't quite trust her. Then she looked into Emma's eyes and saw quite the twinkle in them and it was as if a veil was lifted. Regina gave Emma a smile, "How much of your arm would you like me to save."

Henry gasped and Emma chuckled, "Go at it Madam Mayor."

"Mom..."

Emma didn't say anything while Regina flipped the knife in her hands once, then pulled at one of its ends. From inside sprung a pair of tiny tweezers. "Not sure how well this will work, it's quite the branch, and these aren't..."

"Manly tweezers? I've found that sometimes the more feminine works so much better than any manly thing."

Regina cleared her throat and hoped that Henry was too focused on his birth mother to notice the blush that was making its way up Regina's neck. Emma caught it of course, the blasted woman caught everything. She carefully took a good grip with the tweezers and pulled as hard and as straight back as she could.

The splinter came out and Emma gritted her teeth, then the wound started bleeding. Henry let go of Emma and rooted around in his backpack again coming back up with the largest kind of sticky band aid there was. "Here, here..."

Regina carefully undid it and put it over the gushing wound. "Do you clot?"

"I try not to bleed actually. We should get back to town, before they lynch Mr. Gold."

"Rumpelstiltskin."

"Either of them..." Regina left the silo and Emma leaned down and gave Henry a kiss on the side of the head. "I'll be fine. Go hold your mother's hand. She was... she needs you to hold her hand. Alright? I'll be right there."

Henry paused for a moment, then nodded and ran after his mother. Emma put a hand on the wall of the silo and closed her eyes for a moment. "What else is this crazy town going to throw at me?"

oOOOOo

Mr. Gold sat against a car, hands handcuffed behind his back, still in his suit and tie, though he looked a lot more rumpled than he had before. Emma knelt down in front of him and poked him in the chest, "You lose."

He smiled that creepy smile of his, "Oh, Miss Swan, I never lose. You owe me I believe. For that little... Cinderella situation. Kill Mayor Mills."

All the towns people in the vicinity gasped as Emma got to her feet, her hands on her hips, "And if I don't?"

Mr. Gold's face got steely serious, "Then the moment I am let out of these handcuffs your life is mine. As in... dead." He smirked again, "And I can promise you dearie, it will not be pretty." He pinned Henry with a look, "It's time son, to chose which of your mommies you love better."

Henry looked between Regina and Emma, a stricken look on his face. "I don't..." He looked up at Regina, "I don't want you to die Mom, but... Emma."

Emma held a hand up, "No, there's always a way out. Couldn't be as easy as getting him to say his name."

Mr. Gold laughed, "Rumpelstiltskin, can any of you lot spell it?"

Emma tilted her head to one side, "Can you?"

"R-u-m-p-e-l-s-t-i-l-t-s-k-i-n, so far, oh for two pretty lass. Will you strike out."

Emma bit her lip and stared at the little man. "There has to be a way."

Regina spoke up, "Perhaps if we... if we got back to Happily Ever After?"

Emma nodded, "Right, he was in the mines. His magic was bound by whatever he signed or whatever." Everyone looked at Emma as if she were insane, "What, Willow and Tara were a good couple, and David Boreanaz wasn't bad on the eyes either. So. All we have to do is break a curse that's probably nearly unbreakable. Happy ending, happy ending." Emma looked up at Regina, "I know how to break the curse."

Regina shook her head, "It's not possible Emma. I wish... but..."

"All curses can be broken Regina, no matter how strong. This curse started the day that those drops of blood hit the snow. And, only you can break it now Regina. Only we can break it. Her blood and your love."

It seemed as though the whole town held its breath as both Emma and Regina stayed perfectly still. Regina shook her head, "It's not that easy. There's a catch, there's always a catch."

Emma smiled sadly, "The catch is probably that you have to mean it. If you don't... I..."

Emma started to turn away, but Regina caught her arm and pulled the blonde closer, "You don't know Rumpelstiltskin, he doesn't lose."

Emma glanced over at the man who was still in his handcuffs. "This time, he will. Just ask your son."

Henry piped up helpfully with a nod, "Yes, yes, Emma, she's the White Knight. She's supposed to break the curse."

Emma smiled, "See. Now, who knows more about this town, with no help from anyone, than your son?"

Regina looked down at where her hand rested on Emma's arm. "There's no... there's..."

Emma nodded, "There are never any guarantees. I learned that one the second I was thrown through the closet into this world."

Regina swallowed, then closed the distance between them, put her hands on either side of Emma's face and kissed the blonde bounty hunter. They didn't notice anything but the other.

Everyone else did though. They all gasped. It was as if a giant tsunami wave rippled through the town of Storybrooke Maine. Everything modern was replaced by the sort of medieval. Even their modern clothes changed to dresses and suits of the fairy tales. Their modern coifs to those they had before the curse was cursed.

Except for Emma and Henry, of course. She still had on her red jacket and jeans, and he still had his backpack on.

It was when Rumpelstiltskin cackled that Emma and Regina parted and Regina sucked in a painful breath, her face contorted in pain she, in all her black garbed, flowing hair and blood red lips, evil queen glory slumped towards the floor. Emma barely managed to catch the woman before she hit the ground. "No, no... Mr. Gold, Rumpelstiltskin, whoever the fuck you are. No. We broke it, we won! WE WON!"

The little man just laughed and laughed.

Something occurred to Emma and she rubbed so hard at her lips that those watching thought that she would take them entirely off. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. God, I'm so... Regina, please..."

A small sad smile came to the Evil Queen's face, and she whispered so only Emma could hear her, "S'okay. I got my happy ending."

"No." Emma brushed back the black feather things as well as the Evil Queen's hair. "No. I love you. This is a fucking fairy tale. I love you."

The Evil Queen turned to one side and coughed, blood coming up. "I love you too Emma Swan. You apparently are my white knight. Take- take care of Henry." She coughed again and closed her eyes.

"NO. Damnit. Henry... Mary Margaret."

Both knelt down next to the Evil Queen. Snow White shook her head. "If he put poison on your lips, then there's nothing we can do Emma we just..."

Henry snapped his fingers and waved his hand, "Oh, totally, do you have a knife, or, or..."

Snow White put a hand on her grandson's hand. "Henry, she's not coming back."

Henry yanked his hand away, "NO. No, she's my Mom, okay. And... and... I love her, and I have to save her, it's not her fault. And, she's my MOM." He looked pleadingly over at Emma. "Please Emma. I have an idea."

Emma met Henry's gaze, stood, and stalked over to Prince Charming. "Sword."

Charming blinked, "What are..."

Emma didn't waste any other time, but jerked the sword from where it was hanging on Charming's belt and knelt back down next to the Evil Queen. She held her free hand out, "The apple Henry."

Henry's mouth dropped open as he handed it to her, "How did you... I just..."

Emma split the apple in half, then for a moment that to the blonde seemed to stretch on longer than it actually was she chose one of the sides, then put it back down. She closed her eyes, then when she opened them she picked up a slice without looking to see which it was and leaned over the Evil Queen's head. She couldn't feel any breath, "No, no you don't get to die. That's not a happy ending, it's a sucky, sucky, sucky fucking ending."

She pounded on the Evil Queen's chest a couple of times, then blew breath into her twice, and pounded on her chest again. The Evil Queen sucked in a breath of air, her eyes flying open. "What...?"

"Eat this. Now."

"Emma. I... I've hurt so many people. I deserve to die."

Emma groaned and put the apple slice to the Evil Queen's lips. "It was stupid on Xena, it's stupid now. Just eat the damn thing you stubborn woman."

The Evil Queen slowly chewed and swallowed the piece of apple and again, all those watching held their breaths. Nothing happened. The Evil Queen didn't die, and Rumpelstiltskin was surprisingly quiet. She blinked, "I didn't, it worked."

Emma sat on the cold floor and helped the Evil Queen to a sitting position. "It did. I don't... I don't know what to call you."

"Dead."

The Evil Queen raised her chin as Snow White put a sword to her throat. Emma pushed the sword away and got in between Snow White and the Evil Queen. "No. No."

Snow White had rage in her eyes though, "I never knew you growing up. You grew up alone... and now. You love her?"

Emma smiled, "I do."

Snow White shook her head, "It doesn't matter. She's killed so many. Including her own father. She deserves to die."

"First, hear her story."

The Evil Queen bristled. "No. I won't do it."

Emma turned her back on all the watching eyes and waited until The Evil Queen was looking straight at her and only her. "Regina. To all these people you're simply the Evil Queen, but I think that no matter what your name was here, I'll call you Regina. It's not a weakness, what I feel for you, what you feel for me. It's the greatest strength in the world. It makes silo doors, or apartment doors, or whatever stands in your way seem like nothing. Tell them."

Emma stood and held her hand out to Regina. Regina took it after a moment and stood as well with a wince. Emma pulled Regina closer and whispered so only the dark haired woman could hear, "And if it doesn't work. I knock down my mother, we grab Henry, and we run like hell."

Emma smiled, though she didn't get a smile back from Regina. "Alright." Regina turned and looked around the room. The same room where Snow White and Prince Charming had been married. Everyone she'd known in Storybrooke, nearly everyone she'd cursed to a life in Storybrooke was there. Jiminy, the Huntsman, Red Riding Hood and her Granny, Prince Charming, a still shackled Rumpelstiltskin, not to mention, Snow White, still a sword in her hand and at the ready.

Regina felt someone take her hand and looked down at Henry with a frown. "You're not... now you're not scared? In a suit you thought I was the Evilest of evils. Now..."

Henry shook his head, "No, you're my Mom."

Regina squeezed Henry's hand and let go, fully facing the people in the room she'd hurt. "I- I have no excuses." She looked to Snow White. "I don't hate you because of your beauty, or whyever else you think I hate you. You... you stole my happy ending, and then," Regina's lip curled, "Even after that, you... you got your own. You all got your own."

Snow White looked confused, "You and my mother were friends- I know that."

Regina shook her head and took off the head piece she had on, leaving only her flowing black hair, "No. No, we were not friends. We were more, oh so much more than friends. I loved her more than-" She closed her eyes tightly for a moment, and when they opened there was a sadness and a rage in them. "We were lovers. But, more than anything in the world she wanted a child. Her husband, the mightly powerful King was- shooting blanks and couldn't give her one, or maybe he just wouldn't. I didn't ask. And, if I'd known- I wasn't as adept in the dark arts then. I would have given her one in an instant. But-" Regina's eyes strayed to the little man in shackles. "So, she went to someone. Rumpelstiltskin, someone else, it doesn't matter. And then," her focus came back to Snow White, "and then you came, and she... she died. I was- I was just another noble, I had no right to even."

Regina stopped and just stood there for a moment, collecting herself, "I never even got to see the body."

Snow White glared at Regina, "She's the one who wanted me, I had no say in the matter of coming into this world. You could hate a child, you are worse than the-"

"Be SILENT child." Everyone blinked at the venom in Regina's voice. Emma tried to interject something, but Regina spoke first as she took a step towards Snow White. Her dress swirling around her like the beginnings of a tornado. "I. Loved. You."

She leaned into Snow White's personal space, "I even married that toad of a man for you, for her... to care for you, but then..."

Regina's lip curled again, "Your- father- decided that you loved me too much, he decided that I would be your- Evil Stepmother, and you, you were so much like her. And every day you drove an ice pick through my heart. So, I left. And I took you with me to the Enchanted Forest." Regina glanced at the Huntsman. "I didn't want you dead, just... away from that dreadful man."

Regina stopped speaking again, turned her back on the people and spoke to Emma, "I- I can't."

Emma caught Regina's eyes, "Then we'll go."

"They won't let me," she laughed a laugh that had no happiness or humor in it, "I am the Evil Queen, remember."

"Everyone can change. I've changed. Love. I never did love. But I love you. Every part of you, from your prickly Evil Queen parts, to the parts I see when you look at your son." Emma put a hand against Regina's chest. "I never thought I'd get a happy ending either. You're my happy ending."

Snow White had heard all of the exchange and shook her head, "I'm sorry Emma- you're my daughter, you have good in you, you just have had a hard life, but she... she can't change."

Emma met Snow White's eyes over Regina's shoulder, "If people can't change, then Regina would already be dead."

Snow White blinked, "Excuse me?"

Charming moved to stand beside his wife and took the sword from her hand. "Emma's right. You would have acted impulsively and Regina would already be dead. Let them go. We're back, Rumpelstiltskin will be put back in his hole, we've found a daughter and a grandson." Charming smiled at Henry, "We have our happy ending. Doesn't Regina deserve hers? Wouldn't having that much more love instead of hate in the world make it a better one?"

Snow White's jaw worked as she stared only at Regina. "Tell the rest of the story."

Regina stared right back at Snow White. In a monotone voice she finished the story. "He came for you-"

"The King?"

"Rumpelstiltskin. I tried to fight him off. I thought that you'd died, and, I was hurt very badly. My... of all people, my father found me, but when he looked he couldn't find you. I decided to destroy-" Regina glanced around the palace, "Everything in Happily Ever After. I knew that..." She glanced over at Emma, "I thought that I would never be happy again. So no one else would either."

Snow White glanced over her shoulder, and frowned. "Are you all believing this. She is the Evil Queen, she nearly killed me, she did ill to some of your friends, family. She stranded us far from our home and cursed us so that we could never find our happy endings. She deserves to Die, not get her own."

Emma spoke, "Orson Welles. 'If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.'" She met her mother's eyes, "Does that help. Maybe it won't work out. Maybe she'll go all black eyed crazy on me, on Henry, or on the rest of Happily Ever After. Then you can kill her with no regrets."

Snow White studied her daughter for a long moment, "You would you be right beside her."

Emma nodded, "Every second."

"I kill her, I lose you..."

Emma nodded again, "And Henry."

Snow White looked at Henry and Emma who, whether they knew it or not, were both standing just a bit in front of Regina, protecting her from the rest of them. She flowed over to Regina, her blue dress practically floating over the floor and it was her turn to get into Regina's personal space with a finger to the chest. "I- we will all be watching. And if I see or hear that you hurt my grandson or my daughter in any way." She leaned in towards Regina, "I will kill you."

Regina nodded. "I understand."

"And, you get no help from us. In that... that monstrosity at the edge of the wood, you either survive or you don't." Regina nodded again and with that Snow White turned and smiled at her subjects. "Now, it's time to have a party. We're home..." She hugged Charming to her side, "We're finally home."


	5. Epilogue

"Do you think I'm a new fairy tale back... wherever Storybrooke still is?"

Emma ruffled Henry's hair, "Don't know bud. Though, it probably makes a better soap episode than fairy tale. But, you never know. Maybe there's a kid up there dreaming like you did."

"But mine wasn't a dream." Henry jumped, "Hey, you pinched me."

Emma smirked and patted Henry on the butt, "C'mon, weren't you going to meet Pinocchio at midday."

Henry made a face, "Ooh... ooh..." And was gone.

Emma closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall. "I know you're there." She gave her side an itch, "Really, are you sure that you can't magically make some polyester. All this cotton and wool and... it's driving me insane."

Regina laughed and sat down beside Emma and took one of the blonde's hands in her own. "You're getting callouses. We can..."

Emma put her finger on Regina's lips. "No magic." Emma smirked, "And, for someone who's run all over the country for practically twenty eight years, I'm finding this whole... farming thing quite refreshing, if, a little bit tiring."

Regina brushed a bit of dirt off Emma's cheek and then replaced it with a kiss. She kissed her way down to Emma's lips and got lost in them. When they finally parted Regina smirked, "Still tired?" Emma shook her head, "And Henry's gone until-"

"-tomorrow. Gepptto was going to let him sleep over."

"Good."


End file.
